RIP The Labour Party 1900-1995

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The Telegraph is doing a great journalistic job on the saga of the MPs' expenses. Every time we think it can't get any worse, it does.

The latest tit-bit relates to possible collusion by Speaker Martin's office that gave secret permission for some MPs to over-claim for thousands of pounds in home loan interest in deals that led to the systematic abuse of the taxpayer-funded expenses system. The Labour MP for Wirral South, Ben Chapman has revealed that he was allowed to continue claiming allowance for parts of a home loan that has been paid off. This follows hot on the heels of another two Labour MPs, Elliot Morley and David Chaytor, claimed for mortgages that did not exist.

So it seems that we have a situation where it's not just the MPs that are corrupt, but the whole Parliamentary system and officials. I bet Speaker Martin will be trying to cling onto his position to retain his £100k pa pension. If he jumps then he wouldn't be eligible for it. Let's hope he has the decency to 'fess up and stand down.

Anyway, back to Labour. The revelation that Ben Chapman was allowed to make these fraudulent claims was, according to the Telegraph because

“By paying off capital I am forgoing interest and investment opportunities elsewhere,” he told the fees office.

For the love of all that is holy! This is a Labour MP! What has it come to when a Labour MP can behave like some parody of an investment banker. My dear hope was that when Blair moved on and the Blairite rump were no longer interested that the Labour party could be reclaimed from the New Labour experiment. But methinks the corpse has been dead this past fourteen years.

Hardie would be spinning!

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